A Miserable Situation
by Anna14
Summary: A miserable situation--that basically describes the lives of Clark, Lana, and Chloe
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimers: I don't own any of the characters (quite obviously), nor do I know the exact layout of the Sullivan house.  
  
Clark and Lana walked through the front door of the Sullivan house about an hour after school let out on Friday. Chloe heard them come in from her room upstairs. Clark and Lana had stopped by the Talon before going to the Sullivan house to tackle some algebra problems. Minutes before they walked through the door, Chloe's father had dropped his daughter off after they met at the mechanic's shop where Chloe left her car for some repairs.  
  
Chloe got up to greet Clark and Lana but paused at the top of the stairs before they saw her.  
  
"Chloe must not be home yet. I didn't see her car," Lana said to Clark as she slid her backpack off her shoulders.  
  
"Well, I'm sure she'll be sorry she missed all the graphing fun," Clark replied.  
  
Chloe's curiosity got the better of her. This was an opportunity she couldn't pass up-observing Lana and Clark when they were alone together. They would study linear algebra and she would study them.  
  
Clark and Lana moved into the living room. Clark sat on the couch where Chloe could see him from her position at the top of the stairs. Lana sat across the table from him. For about 20 minutes they sat working on the assigned problems. Chloe thought doing algebra was boring-it was a party compared to watching people do algebra. And to make it worse, she couldn't even make out everything they were saying. 'Just my luck,' Chloe thought to herself, 'the one conversation I really want to overhear, and, of course, they have to be the two most soft-spoken people on earth.'  
  
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"Clark, can I ask you something?" Lana said  
  
"Anything but the answer to number four," Clark joked.  
  
"Remember that.'secret' you told me at the Talon a few weeks ago?"  
  
The smile disappeared from Clark's face and he looked down at his hands.  
  
"I'm sorry, Clark, if you'd rather not talk about it."  
  
"No, it's not that. It's just."  
  
Lana could see how uncomfortable he was, so she asked him gently, "Did you find your birth parents?"  
  
"Sort of."  
  
"Sort of?"  
  
"I mean, I found out that they.that they.died."  
  
It was the first time that he had actually said those words. His birth parents were dead. Saying it out loud seemed to let something loose inside him and he was unexpectedly distraught. Lana stood up and moved closer to where Clark was sitting. She sat down on the coffee table in front of Clark. Their knees were touching. Lana reached out with both hands and took one of Clark's.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Clark."  
  
"I don't know what kind of people they were. I don't know anything about them.but."  
  
"But you still miss them."  
  
Clark looked up at Lana, "Yeah. I guess that's it." He looked down again, "But my mom and dad are so great."  
  
"Clark, thinking about your biological parents doesn't mean you love your mom and dad any less. Have you talked to them about it?"  
  
"A little. Not much, really."  
  
"You should talk to them-you can help each other."  
  
"Yeah, you're right. It just seems.awkward, but I guess it would be kind of a relief to get it all out into the open."  
  
Lana stood up, still holding Clark's hand in one of hers and pulled him up off the couch. "You have more important things to think about right now than algebra," she said as she led him to the door. "Go home. Talk to your parents. Let me worry about the Pythagorean theorem."  
  
Clark paused before leaving. "Thank you, Lana." He stepped in front of her and put his hand on her arm.  
  
Chloe heard their last exchange in front of the door and knew that somewhere along the line, Clark and Lana had stopped discussing math and whatever they were talking about was serious. She watched as Clark reached out to Lana.  
  
Lana responded to Clark's touch with a soft smile before she took a step toward Clark and brought him into a hug. "Everything will work out," she said into his shoulder.  
  
They started to pull away from each other, but stopped. Clark bent his head down so their foreheads were touching. Suddenly, neither could remember why they had started pulling away from each other in the first place. Clark leaned forward and Lana slowly lifted her face toward Clark's. Their lips were less than an inch apart when Lana said, "Wait. I'm sorry. I can't do this to C-we can't do this."  
  
She turned her head away and said, "You should go."  
  
Clark could see that she wasn't going to change her mind. But he could also tell by the tears in her eyes that, in her heart, she didn't really want him to go. Clark was torn as to what to do, but when Lana whispered, "Please," he relented. He put his hand to her cheek and said, "We'll talk later," then turned and walked out the door. Lana turned and put her hand on the door that Clark had just closed. She stood there for a moment before going back into the living room.  
  
Chloe was still upstairs, now leaning against the wall thinking about what she had just witnessed. What a mess: She liked Clark. She knew that Lana knew that she liked Clark. She knew that Clark liked Lana. What she didn't know, until two minutes ago, was that Lana liked Clark.  
  
She waited a few more minutes before going downstairs. She found Lana sitting with her algebra book in her lap and a gloomy look on her face looking out the window.  
  
"I can tell you from experience that's not the best way to study graphs."  
  
Hearing Chloe's voice, Lana snapped out of her daze and looked up at Chloe.  
  
"Chloe, I didn't know you were home."  
  
"Yeah, my dad dropped me off. My car is in the shop. I had a headache, so I went upstairs to sleep for a while."  
  
Chloe looked closely at Lana and asked, "Everything all right?"  
  
"Yeah, great," Lana replied, although it seemed obvious that she was far from feeling 'great.'  
  
"OK," Chloe said, then, looking at Clark's bag on the floor, "isn't that Clark's backpack?"  
  
"Yeah," Lana said, "we were working on algebra."  
  
"Is he here?"  
  
"No. He, uh, had to leave. I guess he forgot his stuff."  
  
"I guess. So is he coming back for it, or are you bringing it to him?"  
  
Lana looked alarmed at the prospect of seeing Clark again. "Actually, Chloe, would you mind bringing it to him? He might need it tonight-if you're feeling better, that is."  
  
"Sure, Lana. I'll take my dad's car as soon as he gets home."  
  
"Thanks. I think I'll go up to my room and finish the reading assignment for English."  
  
"OK," Chloe said as Lana got up and left the room. 


	2. Chapter 2

Clark had just finished watching the sunset from his loft when he heard Chloe come up the stairs.  
  
"Hey, Chloe." She could tell from his voice that he was in a somber mood.  
  
"You left this at my house," Chloe said, holding out his backpack.  
  
"Oh," he said, taking the bag from her, "thanks for bringing it over."  
  
"No problem. Lana thought you might need it tonight."  
  
"How is she?" Clark asked. "I mean, I thought she might not be feeling well when I left."  
  
Chloe couldn't help but smile to herself at his attempt to cover. She knew why Clark was interested in Lana's present condition.  
  
"She's OK," Chloe answered, and then it hit her-No, Lana wasn't fine. She was miserable. Clark was miserable. And Chloe was well on her way to being as miserable as they were. It was a terrible situation. Chloe liked Clark who liked Lana who liked Clark. But Lana was too good a friend to act on her feelings when she knew it would hurt Chloe. So, it seemed, they were all stuck. "Clark?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
Chloe paused. "Nothing. I'll see you later."  
  
Clark nodded and went back over to the window.  
  
Chloe took her time driving home, wondering how long they could all go on like this.  
  
Chloe knocked on Lana's door before she went to her room for the night.  
  
"Come in," she heard Lana say. Chloe opened the door and stepped inside.  
  
"I brought Clark his stuff."  
  
"Oh. Good. Thanks. So.how was he?"  
  
"I don't know-we didn't really talk. He seemed.distracted. Anyway, goodnight, Lana."  
  
"Goodnight."  
  
A very tense week went by in which Lana avoided Clark, who desperately sought opportunities to talk to her alone. Chloe noticed that Lana changed the subject every time Clark came up, and every time Lana's name was mentioned around Clark, he suddenly became very agitated.  
  
That Friday, Clark decided he couldn't take it anymore. He knew that Lana was closing the Talon that night, so he went there, and when the last customers left, he went inside. He wasn't going to let Lana avoid him anymore.  
  
Lana froze when she walked out of the kitchen and saw Clark standing there.  
  
"Clark, what are you doing here?"  
  
"I need to talk to you, Lana."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"About why you've been avoiding me all week. About what happened at your house last week."  
  
"It was a mistake."  
  
"I don't think it was. I wanted to kiss you Lana."  
  
"Clark, please, I can't do this." Lana said as she walked out from behind the counter.  
  
"Why?" When she didn't respond, Clark continued, "I think you wanted to kiss me too." Again, Lana made no response, and Clark knew he was right. "Lana, please, just tell me didn't imagine that."  
  
Lana finally looked at Clark. She could see how painful this was for him. It was for her too. She couldn't lie to him. "You didn't imagine it Clark. The truth is, I did want to kiss you."  
  
Clark looked relieved. "Then what happened?"  
  
Lana was finding it difficult to think of an answer. She needed to make Clark understand why she couldn't be with him without betraying Chloe's confidence. "Because, us-being together-would hurt someone I care about."  
  
Clark finally put the pieces together. He understood what a difficult situation this was for Lana-and for Chloe and himself. He walked up to her, put a hand on her cheek, and lifted her face until they were looking into each other's eyes. Lana could see that he understood and she felt an incredible sense of relief. Clark leaned toward her and softly said, "This isn't over," then slowly backed away and walked out the door. 


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Lana, as usual, was at the Kent stables by 5 a.m. She came every morning to take care of Tyson. And, as usual, Clark was up in his loft, watching as she led Tyson out of the stables and rode the horse across the Kent fields. Clark watched as she rode along the fence near the woods. Suddenly, a dog jumped out from the trees, spooking Lana's horse, sending Lana flying. Clark saw her fall, he head coming down and hitting the fence post. Clark super-sped out to the fields until he was at a distance where Lana could see him. As he ran up to her at human speed, he realized that it didn't matter-Lana was unconscious.  
  
Clark knelt beside her and carefully brushed the hair from her face. "Lana. Lana," he said, careful not to move her in case her neck or back was injured. Just as he was about to get up and speed to the house to call an ambulance, Lana slowly opened her eyes.  
  
"Clark?"  
  
"Are you OK?"  
  
"Uh, yeah, I think so."  
  
"I'm taking you to the hospital."  
  
"No, Clark. Really, I'm fine." She started to get up and Clark helped her.  
  
"Are you sure? I mean, you were knocked out, Lana."  
  
"I'm OK. Can you get Tyson? I have to get to the Talon." She could see that Clark was reluctant to let her go. "I'm fine, I promise. But thank you. How did you even see me?"  
  
"I was on my way out to do chores."  
  
They slowly made their way to Lana's car, Clark keeping a close eye on her. He watched her drive away before going back to the field to get Tyson. He finished his chores, the whole time thinking and worrying about Lana. He needed to see for himself that she was all right and headed for the Talon. When he got there, Clark saw that it was a slow morning at the coffee shop. There were only about five customers at the tables. Courtney, another Talon waitress, was helping two of them, and Chloe was sitting at the counter.  
  
"Chloe," Clark said as he walked up to the counter, "have you seen Lana?"  
  
"Uh-I saw her take some account books and head for a booth in the back about fifteen minutes ago," Chloe said, looking up from the magazine she was reading.  
  
Clark hurried to the back and found Lana slumped in the corner of the booth asleep. He quickly slid into the booth next to her and gently tried to wake her up.  
  
Clark watched her struggle to wake up and knew that she needed to go to the hospital. He leaned out of the booth and called to Chloe, who ran back to see what the trouble was.  
  
"What's going on?" Chloe asked.  
  
"We need to take Lana to the hospital. She got thrown from her horse this morning and hit her head."  
  
Chloe could see that Lana was not well. "I'll go pull my car around to the door."  
  
"Thanks," Clark said as he helped Lana up. By the time they reached the door, Chloe was waiting in the front of the door with her car. Clark helped Lana into the back seat, then went around to the other side and sat next to her.  
  
On the drive, Clark asked Lana what Chloe estimated to be about 400 questions: How was her vision? Did she have a headache? Stiff neck? Had she thrown up? Did she feel like she had to? Lana mostly just shook her head and assured him that she was fine, just a little tired.  
  
Two long hours, one doctor's examination, and a CT scan later, Clark and Lana were shown into Lana's room and told that she would be staying the night for observation.  
  
"How are you feeling?" Chloe asked when the nurse left.  
  
"A little foolish, but otherwise fine," Lana answered.  
  
After visiting for a while, Chloe said goodbye and she and Clark walked out to the hallway.  
  
"Can I give you a ride home?" Chloe asked him.  
  
"No, thanks. I'm gonna stay here."  
  
"Oh. OK," Chloe said. "Call me if you or Lana need anything."  
  
"I will. And thanks for your help, Chloe."  
  
"Sure. No problem." With that, Chloe left and Clark went over to the payphones to call his parents and tell them that he wouldn't be home that night. 


	4. Chapter 4

Visitors weren't technically allowed to stay in patient rooms overnight, but Dr Bryce was on that night, and she gave Clark the official OK. Lana tried many times to convince Clark to go home and get some rest, but he had made up his mind-he wasn't leaving. He was up every three hours when the nurse came in to check on Lana.  
  
"So, how are you feeling?" Clark asked her.  
  
"I'm fine-except it's a little hard to sleep when somebody shines a flashlight in your eyes every three hours."  
  
Clark laughed, "Well, you can sleep all day tomorrow."  
  
"And if I fail the algebra test Monday I can blame it on a head injury."  
  
"Hey, that's a good idea. Remind me to bang my head before the next biology test."  
  
Lana laughed and then looked serious. "Clark, I just-I want to thank you for everything you did today. And for staying here with me. I haven't exactly been very nice to you lately."  
  
"I understand, Lana. You're a good friend." They never spoke about Chloe's feeling for Clark, but they had a silent understanding that neither wanted to hurt Chloe. "I have a confession to make," Clark continued.  
  
"You're not a serial killer are you?"  
  
"No. Nothing like that."  
  
"OK then, what is it?"  
  
"I do get up early to do chores, but not exactly 5 o'clock early."  
  
"I see," Lana said, smiling. "So you just happen to be getting up especially early lately?"  
  
"I know you come to see Tyson then, and, I-kind of, watch you ride from my loft."  
  
Lana looked at Clark and gave him a soft smile, then said, "So why didn't you ever come outside?"  
  
"I didn't want to ruin it."  
  
"Ruin it?"  
  
"Every morning I'd watch the sunrise-you'd come and ride. And you'd look so happy, and I'd think, 'my God, she's beautiful,' and I wanted to tell you that-so bad-but I couldn't."  
  
By now, Lana could feel tears forming in the corners of her eyes. If she had denied that she had feelings for Clark, she couldn't any longer.  
  
"Why not?" Lana asked him.  
  
"Because, it seemed like you wanted me to stay away from you. And I didn't want to make it awkward for you to come see Tyson."  
  
"I guess I have been avoiding you lately."  
  
"Yeah. I noticed." Clark said with a sad laugh.  
  
"But you know what?" Clark looked up at Lana. "I really missed you."  
  
Clark smiled. "Me too."  
  
"So what do we do now?" Lana asked him.  
  
"We wait here, until you're discharged. In the meantime, you get some sleep. And the rest-the rest we'll deal with as it comes."  
  
Clark got up and sat on the edge of the bed and stroked Lana's hair. She took his free hand in her own, and fell asleep.  
  
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End file.
